Non-Diagetic Sound

Non-Diegetic Sound

Non-Diegetic sound is where the source of the sound is not visible on screen or the source of the sound is known. These include the Narrator’s commentary on what happened/ is happening, Sound effects added for dramatic effect or music added to enhance the mood of the scene such as a soundtrack. Non-Diegetic sound is usually represented, as having the source of the sound outside the storyline I.e. the characters cannot react to it unless specified such as a parody.

An example of this would be ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ (1949 Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney – Walt Disney Productions)

In this scene, the schoolmaster sets of from a party home through the sleepy hollow. After hearing tales of the headless horseman, He works himself up himself up and becomes afraid of everything. After realizing it is all in his head, He begins laughing but then, the actually headless horseman arrives to claim his soul.

The non-diegetic sound within the scene is mainly the soundtrack.  It starts with no soundtrack but as the protagonist heads further into the forest, The sounds build up louder and louder to create the mood setting, both comical and yet terrifying to set the scene for the character. With the use of Brass instruments and string instruments like the violins including the xylophone, It creates tension and shows how the character is feeling. Soon, the music calms down as the character starts laughing, eventually stopping before Violently Restarting the moment the headless horseman’s laugh begins. The music used describes the actions that the characters feel yet; neither of the characters can hear the music. Another form of non-diegetic sound would be the narrator’s voice, telling the audience what the character feels, as he does not speak. The narrator cannot actually be seen but his words can be heard, as if a voice within the protagonist’s head.